1/7 Season Four, Episode Nine: The Man Who Died Twice–Scarecrow & Mrs King

Everyone ready?  A massive thanks to Janet H (code name Clagjanet!) who has kindly transcribed this episode, and given descriptions. Thanks so much for contributing to smk fandom, and to this walk Clagjanet! We Salute you!!!!
Clagjanet has kindly written descriptions for this episode, so: I’m going to indicate:
-descriptions by Clagjanet in {brackets} if I use them.
-my descriptions, which are more conversation than description sometimes, mine will be just in (brackets).
Clear as mud?

Let’s do this!!!! The episode opens with an image of the White House, and some shots of Washington DC streets. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000079379We head straight to Billy’s office and it’s time for visual aids. Billy is presenting information to a small group of agents.. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000106339
Billy: The Chinese Trade Fair is a week-long event… eighteen running miles of parades and exhibits… 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000112345
(Lee, Francine and two randoms are present. Lee’s in the office half listening and reading the paper.) 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000114748
Billy:
…Their General Secretary, Hu Yaobang, kicks it off at noon, Friday…
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000123156
…Fifteen receptions, two concerts, about a hundred possibilities for any anti-China group… doesn’t make any difference which hand they salute with, right or left. It’s still a security nightmare
.
[You all paying attention? There will be a test on this later! rofl. Such detail!]
Francine: Several nightmares.
[are we playing smk bingo? I think we can tick off ‘Francine inserts a quick quip into some boring info’ for this episode]
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000131164
Billy: The Secret Service and the DC Police will handle the main show… we will back them up with intelligence….4.09 TMWDT.avi_000132165
…Any half-truth or piece of lint that you pick up, I want it now. Let’s do it.
[whooooo Lint alert!]
[These two totally need names – anyone want to go for it?! have we seen these two before? In days of old, I would have gone hunting to find a collection of sightings. Sorry everyone, those times are not now- it’s a time for curiosity thrown out there and if someone wants to take it and run with it: Awesome!! and if not.. well.. it will still be a question to be explored then next time we walk through this ep together Smile
Come on iwsod, focus.. I’m getting distracted already.]

(Francine and the two randoms get to work. Lee and his newspaper stay put.)
Billy:  House shopping? 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000142175

Lee:
Ahhh, just studying architecture… pre-Revolution, anti-bellum… You know they date everything around here from some war.
[Is this ‘some war’ line a gag that I probably don’t get? I’m guessing it’s probably obvious, and thus funny for Lee not to say]
Billy: Go to the senior staff meeting, you’ll find out why. Dr. Smyth is beating me up for proof on your ‘Vietnamese plot.’ 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000152986
[Ahh those pesky higher ups want… actual proof! Lee’s word and sources are gold! they should be enough! lol. I am a little afraid. I find myself agreeing with Dr Smyth here!]
Lee: Well, it’s real. The Vietnamese are going to hit the Trade Fair. Khai has all the details.
Billy: Well, get them… The Old Man likes to have a nice thick packet under his arm when he goes to the White House. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000164197
Lee: Why the hell are we being so careful with these Vietnamese, huh?…
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000167000
…I think the President oughta take Mr. Diem and his whole delegation and ship ‘em right back to Hanoi, now! 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000168201(calms himself) But then again, I only work around here. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000175008
[Calm down Lee. lol. Okay, Mr Diem is bad. Lee knows good guys from bad.]
…Look at this… 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000178411
(Lee shows Billy the paper, he studies the ad Lee has pointed out)
Billy:
It’s beautiful…
Lee: Yeah
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000184017
Billy
: (deadpan) Did they put too many zeros in that price?
Lee: What?
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000192225
(Lee takes another look at the price.. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000193226
and then scowls at Billy, realising Billy was teasing!!) 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000193626
[Haaaa. good one Billy! 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000196830
The scene ends with a fabulous Billy Belly laugh as Lee leaves his office.. Ahhh Billy’s work here is done Smile ]

Moving on to the next scene..

{Cut to exterior DC street (daytime) The Corvette weaves through traffic.}4.09 TMWDT.avi_000210243
Lee: (V.O. ) Bethesda is just getting too congested. And, y’know, Annapolis is great for a weekend, but you can forget about that 301 coming in. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000212445

(Amanda sighs very loudly!!! )
Lee:
You like up toward Rockville?
Amanda: Oh yeah, I love it up there, but it’s pretty expensive. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000215448

Lee:
Well, we don’t have to live in a palace, you know… the point is, I think it’d be great for the boys. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000219252
Amanda: Yeah… uh, you know we have an awful lot to think about before we start talking about mortgages. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000224257
Lee: I know, I know… I’m just getting excited about the possibilities. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000227460
Amanda: I know you are.
Lee: Up in Rockville we can keep horses.
Amanda: Do you have any idea how much it costs to keep horses???!!!
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000236269
Lee: Yes… as a matter of fact, I do. I had a little roan mare when I was ten years old and my uncle was stationed near Cherbourg. I sure loved that horse. She taught me a lot about responsibilities. I think horses and kids are a natural…4.09 TMWDT.avi_000245278
…I always planned, that when I settled down my kids would have horses.
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000253286
[Uh oh. that’s the smile that’s not really a smile. Amanda reacts non verbally…4.09 TMWDT.avi_000253687
She doesn’t look terribly thrilled with this plan]4.09 TMWDT.avi_000254087
… You don’t like the idea? 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000255288
Amanda: Oh, I like the idea. I like all your ideas.
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000257290
(Amanda reaches out to touch Lee’s shoulder)
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000258291
 Lee: Well…
(Lee smiles! lol Amanda’s reassurance seems to do the trick)
Amanda: I just think we have an awful lot to talk about before we… start thinking about things like this, that’s all.
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000264698
Lee:  Okay, keep my feet on the ground. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000266866
(We see the corvette pull up at their destination)
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000267867
(V.O)…But for now, watch my rear, huh?
Amanda: My pleasure. [wha??!!!! whoooo frisky Amanda!!] Lee : Very funny.
[LOL Lee seems unimpressed with this joke haaa. Interesting that we don’t see a close up on them for these last couple of lines here. I think it needed the lightness here – and it worked great.

So before I move on to what happens next, I’m really curious to hear what you all make of this exchange in the car.
I have mixed feelings about it.
On the one hand, it makes sense that Amanda would be cautious, and maybe more down to earth in options put forward for their future  – and Lee is a little more head in the clouds. I think this is what I’m supposed to see here..
I mean, I know Amanda loves Lee and is committed to him.

However, the tone feels off to me. Like, he’s more into her than she’s into him. I fully expect others to respectfully disagree with me.. Feel free to. Previously I’ve seen this whole side plot really differently to how I do now!
I think Amanda comes across as closed off here while Lee is wearing his heart on his sleeve.
Amanda seems to be holding back, and her reactions to what he says come across as a bit condescending:  The little shoulder touch and ‘I like all your ideas’??? Seems…. disingenuous to me. Not that Amanda needs to be perfect, she doesn’t.. Just my 2 cents, but the vibe here feels off. Maybe it’s a sign that this episode is going to shake things up..
The little sassy joke inserted at the end here is a welcome addition..
What do you all think about this scene? Do tell! It’s tricky to discuss without jumping ahead, I hear ya, but let’s give it a try?! ]
Okay, moving on..
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000276076
Khai: Why aren’t you alone? [Ahh Lee’s contact] 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000280880
Lee:
Amanda King’s my partner. Now what’s the problem? [Lol at yelling this secret conversation!]4.09 TMWDT.avi_000284684
Khai:
(drawing a gun) Mr. Diem.
(Amanda is startled and reacts to it’s appearance.
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000288088
[Ah Nancy! cross necklace alert!]
But Lee is initially unconcerned that he would shoot them, more that Mr Diem might be around)
Lee: Diem? Where?
Come on, what’s going on? Put the gun away.
Khai shouts:
Mr. Diem wants to ‘call the question.’
{Khai’s words galvanize Lee into motion. He spins toward the Corvette}
Lee: (shouting) Amanda, get down!”

{Khai fires his gun at them. Lee leaps over the Corvette hood and takes cover himself behind it. Khai fires again and Lee emerges and fires back. Khai shouts something in Vietnamese, then gets in his car and drives away as Lee continues to fire at him. Khai’s car goes under the freeway, disappears around the corner, tires screeching 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000311911
a beat later, we see a massive explosion. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000315915

4.09 TMWDT.avi_000316916
Lee and Amanda run toward it.
(I see Amanda is back to wearing heels and running!)
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000320520
They arrive to find Khai’s car has crashed into the side of an oil tanker truck and is engulfed in flames. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000325725
Amanda grips Lee’s arm and looks away in horror. Lee rests his hand in top of hers but continues to stare at the conflagration.}4.09 TMWDT.avi_000327527The scene ends there..
[Soooo what got up Khai’s nose?! Lee having a partner? lol.
The err title of this episode is called ‘The man who died twice’ so err I wonder if Khai is really dead. ahem. because it all looks like a set up and like it came out of nowhere!
Now, did I think this the first time I saw it? Hmmm.. probably not!]

Moving on, and we head back to Billy’s office..
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000338138{Dr. Smyth enters suddenly and Francine leaps to her feet.}
Francine:
Sir!4.09 TMWDT.avi_000344744
Smyth: Hey, don’t mind me.
[we always mind you. Especially when you say don’t mind me!]
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000345945
Francine: Are you, uh, looking for Billy? 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000348348
Smyth:
Uh… and apparently what you don’t want me to see.
{As she speaks, she moves to block the screen as Smyth tries to see past her.}
[rofl. could this look any more suspicious??!! ]
{We can see only part of screen} [Call me crazy but is this the screen we were looking at for aerostatik projects in the last episode?!
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000357157
It is!!! Here’s the screen from the previous episode.

Haaaa Francine, come on- move on! That case is over!! haaaa!]
Francine:
Oh, this Sir?
She holds out a file.
Smyth: I haven’t got time for a Maypole dance this morning, Desmond. Digame, digame

(Clagjanet adds: Spanish for “tell me, tell me”)
[Thanks Clagjanet!!]
Francine: It’s Scarecrow’s preliminary, Sir. I was just, uh, cross indexing it for possible peripherals.
{She quickly turns off the computer and walks away.}
Smyth: Spare me. You people down here sound like robots.
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000363563
Francine: It’s only that you usually receive the report digest, Sir. That’s the full report.
Smyth: I know we don’t play patty-cakes around here but this man Tranh Van Khai is a very special little birdie. I’m surprised Scarecrow made it so irrevocable.
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000377577
[This dialogue is flippin hilarious!!! He’s scarecrow, of course he was hard on the special little birdie! That’s a scarecrow’s job!]
Francine: He was being shot at, Sir.4.09 TMWDT.avi_000379979
Smyth: He was being shot at? Come closer.
(Francine steps forward nervously.)
Smyth: Proverbial life and death situation?
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000388388
Francine: Yes Sir, I believe it was! Lee Stetson is very cool under fire and he is the first one to avoid shooting someone – especially a friend! This is really tearing him apart! 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000395995
[Whooo so emotional from Francine here!
I’m quick to say fashion police alert- so I should probably be just as quick to say: this ensemble’ ain’t bad!! and I’m loving her hair here. Aside from the footballer sized shoulder pads, this is a good look on Francine!
I have this underlying sense of discomfort right throughout this scene – Smyth is awesome in his incisive and brutal approach, but also – Francine chooses this time to let her mask slip???!!! I keep thinking nooo Francine don’t show any vulnerability to this guy!]

Smyth (surprised): I think you’re being sincere. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000399199
Francine (quietly): Yes Sir. 4.09 TMWDT.avi_000400200
Smyth: Doesn’t suit you. Back to your peripherals, Desmond. [Sincere doesn’t suit him either! I’m so unsettled.. again I find myself agreeing with Dr Smyth haaa!]
{He turns to walk back to the door. Francine sits back down in front of the computer. Smyth turns back. }
Smyth: I think he asked you not to let me see that, didn’t he?
Francine has her back to him so he can’t see her roll her eyes.
Francine (through gritted teeth): Yes, but I don’t think there was anything devious about it.
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000411611{She turns to glare at him}
Smyth: (smiling)
Why not? I like that in a man.
[Oh really? But.. what does he make of a devious woman?!]
(Dr Smyth leaves and Francine sighs.)
4.09 TMWDT.avi_000421421
The scene ends here.
[Francine certainly seems to have Lee’s back. And… is actually not pretending otherwise anymore ha!
Dr Smyth likes deviousness? Yeah sure you like that… that’s why you sent people after Lee to kill him in stemwinder because you couldn’t trust him. I never tire of Dr Smyth, his ‘deviousness’ and fabulous turn of phrase! Thus, I kept it all in here – enjoy peeps!]

Lots to talk about here!!! I may not have time to reply to comments, but I always read them and enjoy them!! Soooo any thoughts you’d like to share all?? Do tell!!! 

34 thoughts on “1/7 Season Four, Episode Nine: The Man Who Died Twice–Scarecrow & Mrs King

  1. I hate this secret marriage thing and the way that Amanda poo-pood his exciting ideas about getting a house and whatnot. UGH. It’s no wonder there are so many fanfictions written about it. The episode was a major downer.

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    1. Hiya Suzanne – Yep, I think you can see from the comments you are not alone in your displeasure with the secret marriage! Ah well… we can lament together 🙂

      Like

    2. I wouldn’t have minded the secret marriage if we’d had it revealed. Like carry it out for a year and reveal in late S5. But ending the series on it was such a rip. If the writers knew enough to adjust Amanda out of the scripts they could have at least done a cliffhanger for the finale where Dotty overhears and the last thing we see is her saying “WHAT wedding?” If it got picked up, they could have bluffed their way out of it. If not we could all rest happy knowing they’d live happily ever after.

      What irritates me is that I can’t see how it would solve anything. Gordon Redding, the guy from Possum, and the people behind the Stemwinder dossier have already connected Lee & Amanda together. Plus Lee is always at the house. And besides if Amanda is an agent, what’s to stop the bad guys from taking Phillip or Jamie to force her to cooperate?

      Liked by 2 people

  2. “However, the tone feels off to me. Like, he’s more into her than she’s into him..”
    iwsod, I agree that this scene has a very different tone than some others. I have been thinking about it. My opinion is that for Lee, this is the first time he’s been in this type of relationship: in love with a real woman, having the possibility of a life with a home and children. He’s giddy with the headiness and endorphins that love can bring.
    Amanda has been here before. I’m sure she had lots of big plans with her first husband. She loves Lee, and is looking forward to the future, but knows the day to day annoyances that come with a new home, pets (horses!) and family. Rushing into all these big changes would cause stress in the relationship that Lee, with his rose colored glasses, does not see. She knows they’ll get there, but they’re better off taking their time.
    Anyway, there’s my thoughts which I will cut off here before I begin to ramble……..

    Liked by 2 people

    1. very interesting- thanks for sharing your thoughts!
      Anything that makes this work better is okay with me. Let’s go with this theory 🙂
      Had the execution of the story actually conveyed this I would have been fine with it.

      Like

  3. I think Lee’s excitement about house-hunting is sweet. I don’t see it as too alarming… I think he’s fallen in love, has the girl and wants the rest. He hasn’t thought it through… but now that he’s found this happiness, he’s eager to have it all. Amanda is more grounded, but you can tell she doesn’t want to burst his bubble and bring him back to reality. She loves him and knows they’ll figure all this out.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Just getting around to watching this and catching up. It’s taken a while. I wonder what Billy must be thinking in this beginning scene? He seemed to know Lee wanted to marry her and now he’s looking at houses. He gave his support about the relationship. Does he know they’re engaged or does he just assume it? I’m just wondering.

    I agree with all of you that Lee’s intent about the house is mostly about being married to Amanda and maybe in his mind, feeling like he’s the luckiest guy alive. It doesn’t take much to remember him talking about being a bachelor and preferring it that way. Secretly he may have thought this day would never come. But he’s got everything he could possibly want and maybe this is his idea of sharing this dream with her. He does need to see it from her perspective. Right now he’s just a kid in a candy store.

    Like

    1. Sara!!!!!! welcome back!! 🙂

      So glad RL has allowed some smk time for ya!

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts re this ep – and thanks to everyone. The whole secret marriage thing is a bit… controversial, certainly not ‘pleasant’ for me to dwell on right now.
      I wondered if others were feeling the same way…

      Hi Everyone,
      I’m thinking we need some season 1 smk – uplifting, funny, and ridiculous! [Is it just me?]
      But.. I’m determined to plow on and all of us are free to go back to season 1 eps at any time..
      so peeps, go wherever you feel you need to in the smk catalogue and enjoy! [just don’t jump ahead of the walk pls.]

      Liked by 1 person

  5. I don’t really tire of Dr. Smyth. He adds something new and he is different than Dirk and all the other Dirk-like bosses in all the other shows. I do like Dr. Smyth’s calm nature and then trying to decifer is puns adds a little spice. To be clear, I don’t like him, I just appreciate the character.

    Another important element, to me, in this scene is that FINALLY someone is bigger, meaner, and tougher than Francine and he really has her on edge. Notice, it’s not just putting her in her place after four years of her nastiness, but rather, it’s a clever twist of bringing out the real strength in Francine (defending Lee) yet, done through her being intimidated and even fearful. Aces, SMK writers.

    What do you think when Dr, Smyth commands, “Come closer”? And she does!!!!!!!! There seems to be no purpose other than him impressing that he is in total command and control. If this had been anyone else, we can imagine the snide and snarky comments she would have made. I don’t know that, under the circumstances, that I would have moved toward him. What was Francine feeling?

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  6. Sorry I’ve been absent for the past few posts! Hoping to catch up this weekend. It’s good to be back with you all! I like all your thoughts on what’s happening in the scene in the car. They really tried to pack a lot into that scene, and I think they may have realized it didn’t quite hit the mark so they added the voiceover part about her watching his rear to try and fix it and lighten it up. While I think it could have been better, I actually like how it feels a little off and makes us wonder what’s going on in both of their minds right then. Real relationships have those exact kind of off moments and it’s the working through them that makes them so beautiful.

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    1. Weirdly, the “watch my rear” bit is actually in the script. It may just be clunky because they are trying to add fun innuendo into too serious a conversation..

      Like

  7. Hey all, I’m sorry for the plethora of comments this week. Walking through the series with my son has brought me back to the JWWM posts I haven’t commented on, and once I start I can’t seem to quit!! Anyway, I was just going through Billy’s Lost Weekend and was reminded of this here episode we are walking through in real time, The Man Who Died Twice. When Lee gets all enthusiastic about house hunting, it brought me back to the scene in BLW where he gets all excited about his and Amanda’s weekend trip – remember how he gave her all of those options with the brochures? So funny, because Amanda used to be the one who got “enthused” with a work-related project, but now we see suave Lee Stetson getting all “enthused” about these relational projects with Amanda. It’s sweet, I think.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I’m sorry for the plethora of comments this week.

      Nope. Do. Not. Apologise. – I love it!!!!!
      I’ll keep saying it: I love reading comments from anywhere previous in the walk if people are enjoying and sharing with us all – please feel free to go for it and don’t limit yourself!
      I read and enjoy but alas, can’t respond to everything – so even if I don’t respond just know: I’m cheering you on to continue sharing!!!

      So funny, because Amanda used to be the one who got “enthused” with a work-related project, but now we see suave Lee Stetson getting all “enthused” about these relational projects with Amanda. It’s sweet, I think.

      Good call! yeah I love this too. it’s super adorable! She’s the one with the level head!

      Liked by 2 people

  8. Don’t have anything of substance to add to this part of the discussion (other than I agree with everyone’s observations; and also, yay for another great recap from iswod!)…mostly I’m just dropping by to let you good people know that I introduced my visiting 8 year-old niece to SMK last week. As soon as the end credits for “The First Time” finished, an option to rate the episode popped up. “Give it five stars”, she commanded. “And can we watch another one?” 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

      1. I won’t lie, her reaction put a big smile on my face. I have exposed her to a few retro shows from my childhood and even from the ’60s and ’70s (I’m a retro aunt for sure). So far she has loved all of them, and that makes me very happy. I also LOVED her reaction to the lowlife hiring manager in the next episode “There Goes The Neighborhood”…remember, the loser who hit on Amanda during her interview? After that happened, I hit the pause button and gave my niece a little speech about how this wasn’t appropriate and that things have changed considerably for women since this era. I wasn’t sure if she would grasp the concept….but she did…she scowled at his image on the TV while I was talking, and when I was finished she said “Pow!” and pretended like she was punching him out. That’s my girl…

        Liked by 2 people

  9. Hi-ya, I have only begun the thread, but want to give my humble comments on a couple things in the first scene about the house Lee is looking at, since I live outside the DC area (which does not make me an expert and Idid not grow up in this area) .

    “Some wars” is true because the greater area was a central zone of and/or its people served in several wars (French/Indian, Revolutionary, War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish/American, WWI, WWII, Korean, Vietnam).

    This are is THE MOST expensive area to live in the US, so I took Billy’s comment about the zeros to be true and Billy was having a good laugh at how out of touch Lee’s dreams were compared to reality. Sure, many would like the home he was looking at, but the equivalent today would be in the millions (with an ‘s’). He could easily afford that in the midwest, not outside DC. I took Lee’s look to be embarrassment, disappointment, and frustration.

    Others probably have better insight than I have.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. This context helps thanks colorfulangel, it kind of helps to know that Lee is being not just enthusiastic, but.. ridiculously so.
      Her comment about loving all his ideas still ticks me off this time around though. lol.
      I won’t jump ahead but I can see that the last time I discussed this episode online I was not bothered by Amanda’s reactions at all. lol.
      It’s interesting how we can have such different reactions at times – different to previous reactions we ourselves have had, not just different to each other.

      Liked by 2 people

  10. I think it is helpful to recall that we have come into the conversation with Lee and Amanda in the middle. Who knows what happened before this? Maybe she had simply said something about her property taxes increasing or that the new neighbour was annoying and Lee leaped into man-fix mode where he’s immediately like “we’ll move!” when all she wanted was to vent. LOL.

    My reaction to this is educated by knowing what happens later so I’ll save my expounding for then, but I do think it is very telling that Lee’s reaction is a sort of self-realizing laugh about how she needs to keep his feet on the ground. he may be unnerved by her less than excited reaction to his ideas but he does catch himself and acknowledge she has a point.

    I do find it funny that the episode Our Man in Tegernsee established that The Sound of Music is Amanda’s favourite film because this conversation always reminds me of the scene where the Captain proposes to Maria and then asks if there’s anyone whose permission he requires and then at the same time they both say “The children.” I mean, really Lee, P&J might hate you. Or horses. Or both. 😆

    Liked by 2 people

    1. As always, great to hear from you clagjanet!
      I’m glad you’ve come up with a way to view this whee you don’t find Amanda annoying like I do. lol.

      I think it is helpful to recall that we have come into the conversation with Lee and Amanda in the middle.

      I tried. Honestly I did! and… this didn’t work for me! lol. I still find Amanda’s response condescending!

      I mean, really Lee, P&J might hate you. Or horses. Or both.

      I know right?! it’s weird! He hasn’t even met them at this stage. I can’t remember who said it – but someone was saying they think this ep should be later. Maybe this will be fixed by changing the order up. I’m happy to keep an open mind and if ep order can improve things I’m all for it. lol!
      oh and clagjanet, kudos for TSOM references! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Soooooo…..I really, really want to not strongly dislike this episode, and am hoping the walk will help me gain some appreciation for it. 😬

    First of all, Dr. Smyth. He makes my head hurt. It’s like the little sea turtle, Squirt, on Finding Nemo when Marlin says, “It’s like he’s trying to speak to me, I just know it!” I comprehend anything Dr. Smyth says about as much as Marlin could understand Squirt. And I think I’ve made that exact comment before somewhere, so sorry. I’m repeating myself this week!! 😄

    Secondly, I think Lee is so sweetly excited about a house. And bless her, I really do think Amanda doesn’t want to discourage his excitement. But I kinda see where she could be wondering about other things, like maybe how they’re going to approach her family (gee, I don’t know, like maybe even properly introduce them to each other first) – before making an offer on a house? He’s so sweetly eager, but I do agree with her that there actually are some pretty big unaddressed elements of a marriage between them that kinda need addressing first – timelines, forming of new relationships with her family, discussing whether to inform them of their jobs, do they tell people at work, and more. Just my thoughts. But I’m always eager to hear everyone else’s to help me make better informed opinions!

    I will say that the way Amanda addressed Lee when she says, “I like all of your ideas” for some reason reminded me just a wee bit of WWH when she and Joe are at the boarding house on the bed talking and she tells him that he did what was right because that’s who he is. Anyway, I did kinda feel that tone in her voice again here, so I do think she is responding in a significant and particular way, as to not discourage, but maybe not sure exactly how to articulate everything she’d want to say at that moment or maybe realizing the timing may not be perfect for such a conversation. 😕

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Lee’s over the top enthusiasm is one of the reasons I like to put this episode quite a bit later, like AFTER he meets the boys. Because otherwise – Oh My Gosh – I would be getting the heebie jeebies if I were Amanda and be tempted to jump from the car and run. Even with the episode coming later in the season, shouldn’t your future wife also have a say in where you all are going to live – especially with two school aged boys in the mix? And what about her horse allergy she had in season 1?
      I cannot fault Amanda’s reaction at all and even when I saw it when it first was aired, it gave me the willies. I mean it is one thing not to go over your cover story before a case, but this really is in another league.

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      1. Interesting theory, Cindy, about putting it later in the season. I’m always interested to hear everyone’s episode order thoughts!

        Liked by 2 people

      2. She doesn’t look terribly thrilled with this plan …

        Cindy, you brought up another reason (besides home prices) for Amanda’s reticence: “And what about her horse allergy she had in season 1?”

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Soooooo…..I really, really want to not strongly dislike this episode, and am hoping the walk will help me gain some appreciation for it.

      I feel the same way. I’m not expecting to love it, but if I can find a better appreciate for it that would be great!
      This ep is tough because the end of the ep is where it all comes together – and so i hope we can hang in there and let lose with the ideas in the final post haaaaaa.

      I agree sweetness was what I saw in Lee here too. granted, with more context (as shared by colorfulangel) his sweetness is totally unrealistic, and okay maybe Amanda is trying to sweetly push back. (it just doesn’t work that way for me!)

      WWH vibes? now that’s interesting!!!

      Liked by 1 person

    3. Re-reading everyone’s insightful and intriguing comments (instead of doing what I should be doing, which is working). BTW, totally with you, amandarambler, on the WWH similarities. I agree with everyone’s other observations, too…and it’s also occurring to me that one possible read on Amanda’s reaction is that in addition to all of the other aspects of the situation that have been noted, she may be just be plain overwhelmed. Even though she loves Lee so much and is ready to be his life partner, I can see where the challenging realities of marrying him might be crashing into her consciousness for the first time right about now…and if that’s the case, it would be natural for her to want to hit the pause button for a few minutes. In my mind I hear her thinking “can’t we just do this whole exciting and romantic secretly-in-love spy couple thing for a little bit longer before we start talking about house payments?” 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    4. “Anyway, I did kinda feel that tone in her voice again here, so I do think she is responding in a significant and particular way, as to not discourage, but maybe not sure exactly how to articulate everything she’d want to say at that moment or maybe realizing the timing may not be perfect for such a conversation. 😕”

      I forgot how to indent. Anyway, Amandarambler, this is exactly how I feel. I can see my DH doing something just like this. I can often see my DH in Lee. Anyone else have hubbys like Lee?

      Like

So what do you think??? :)

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